September 2009 Call-ups: Standing Up

I've been fiddling with a large post on pitch count and, shame on me, didn't report on the call-ups for this season. Players who got the call-up in September, not in any particular order:

• Brad Hennessey


• Scott McClain


• Geno Espineli


• Nate Schierholtz


• Pat Misch


• John Bowker


• Steve Holm

In addition, Jonathan Sanchez was taken off the DL and put on the active roster. To make room for McCain on the 40-man roster, Guillermo Rodriguez was the guy who was released. Thanks, Guillermo, we hardly knew ye!

The young guys have had some bright spots this month. Pablo Sandoval has been the brightest and most consistently bright and has continued it into September, but also Travis Ishikawa has had a number of good moments (and big RBI games) and just had another one today. Burriss has been very hot, even hotter, hitting around 1.000 OPS over the past 7 days and past 14 days.

Among the actual call-ups, Scott McClain had a big day today, as well, including his first major league home run, which is great considering he has 287 homers in the minors (and counting) in 13 seasons. Nate Schierholtz followed up yesterday's 2 for 6 game with one run scored with today's 4 for 5 game with three runs scored: he's 6 for 11 now, with 2 doubles and 4 runs scored. It's nice to play in Colorado when you are a visiting hitter.

Augusta Pitching Coach Interview

Andy Baggarly had a nice interview with the Augusta Greenjackets' pitching coach, Ross Grimsley, focused mostly on Bumgarner. Here are key bits of information in that interview:

• Apparently the Giants tried to get him to change his mechanics, causing him to give up 10 runs over 11.2 IP in his first three starts. He returned to his old mechanics and had a 0.90 ERA in the 21 starts since then.


• About his extraordinary command, Grimsley noted: "...he’s around the plate and aggressive. He goes after hitters, as all our pitchers have done, and it’s been great to watch. That’s the first step in this process to get to big leagues: to have confidence in yourself to throw strikes while establishing your fastball to both sides of the plate."


• Grimsley compared him to other Giant's lefty pitching prospects: "At his point in his career, he’s further along than Jonathan Sanchez was, than Francisco Liriano was when they were here. He’s done better at this level, and that’s really impressive. The sky’s the limit."


• About Bumgarner's pitching: "He tops out at 95-96 mph and pitches around 92-93. That can vary depending on the situation of the game. When he needs to jack it up a notch, he will. He’s already got a good idea, and that’s what impresses me the most. He’s learning these things now, so when he gets to the big leagues, he can focus on the other things he’ll work on. I’ve always felt you don’t learn to pitch until you’re in the big leagues for two or three years. I think this young man will be there a lot longer than that."

Giants Thoughts


There has been a question over the years whether the Giants have any sort of pitching philosophy that is taught to our young pitchers, mainly because a number of them seem to have trouble finding the plate and end up walking a lot of people. The statement above is the closest I've seen about this from Giants management. I'll quote here again for emphasis:

He goes after hitters, as all our pitchers have done, and it’s been great
to watch. That’s the first step in this process to get to big leagues: to have
confidence in yourself to throw strikes while establishing your fastball to both
sides of the plate.

Not a big statement, but that's a start. Perhaps the problem has been that the Giants have focused more on the big strikeout guys who also usually have a problem throwing the ball over the plate and into the strikezone with consistency.


Also big to note was how dominating Bumgarner actually was, with is 0.90 ERA using his regular mechanics. That's Lincecum dominating when he was in the minors. Perhaps he can make the jump to the majors by sometime next season, that's what the Giants did with Sanchez, though in a relief role, but if the #5 starter is as crappy as he has been this season, it would not be shocking to see one of Bumgarner, Alderson, or Sosa up as the 5th starter if they are doing very well at the mid-season point in 2009.


About the call-ups, the major surprise to me was that Denker and Horwitz did not get the call. Maybe surprise is too strong, more like disappointed but understanding. The main thing is that the Giants are trying to evaluate Burriss, Ochoa, and Velez right now, leaving very little time at 2B for Denker, and any spare time at 3B will go to Sandoval, leaving no playing time for Denker, whereas the outfield has Lewis, Rowand and Winn probably seeing a lot of play still, with Schierholtz and Bowker needing a lot of playing time as well, particularly Schierholtz, leaving no playing time for Horwitz.


Besides which, it seems to be the same trait that is harming both players' chances to get called up now: neither one fields well enough to get their bat into the lineup. Denker is particularly bad defensely, making him a right-handed version of the guy he was traded for, Mark Sweeney. Horwitz appears to be a hitting machine who is passable in the OF, but without the power to warrant inclusion into the lineup, though he muscled up this season, and, oddly enough, wasn't much of a hitting machine up in the majors, but hit 2 HR in 36 AB.

I think both could become key bench players in the 2010-12 Giants, when we are hopefully returned to competitiveness and don't need to try out prospects in bench roster spots. They provide hitting and power from the bench, which is something every team needs, plus could be key if the Giants ever make the World Series and need a DH.


The outfield will be interesting, with Lewis, Rowand, and Winn wanting regular playing time, with Roberts also available, and with the Giants wanting to play Schierholtz and Bowker regularly (as long as Ishikawa is hitting, Bowker isn't seeing any time at 1B most probably). Yesterday, Rowand and Lewis sat so that Roberts and Schierholtz could play (Winn also played); today, Rowand sat so that Schierholtz could play (Lewis and Winn played).


With Schierholtz going 6 for 11, I don't see Bochy sitting him down anytime soon, so Winn will probably not start the next game, allowing Schierholtz to play RF. Besides which, the Giants know that they owe Schierholtz for not bringing him up earlier when all the other prospects got the call and yet he was doing really well too, they've been saying it is not fair since spring training, both Sabean and Bochy, so I expect somebody to be sitting down in most games to allow Schierholtz starting playing time, perhaps 3 out of every 4 games, much like how Frandsen and Ortmeier got their opportunity last season, plus that is about the frequency of LHP starting.


Speaking of which, Ortmeier also didn't get the call, but that's not too surprising as he did not hit well in the minors after he recovered from his injury. Had he been slugging the ball like, say, Sandoval or Ishikawa, he would be up here making playing time interesting at 1B and the corner OF positions. Given how well players in his possible positions are doing (Ishikawa, Sandoval, Lewis, Schierholtz), his window of opportunity to start is probably closed and his best bet would be a versatile bench player who can switch hit with power and speed to steal while playing 1B and the OF positions (he's manned CF a few times).


FYI, Buster Posey was promoted after helping the Giants win the Instructional League to Short-Season Salem-Keizer, which is battling for the Northwest League title again (third straight time if they can win again this season). Not sure how he did in instructional league, other than what I reported previously. Conor Gillaspie is also playing for S-K as well. Augusta and San Jose are also battling for league titles as well. The Giant's teams have been dominating the lower minors for a number of years now, hopefully such success will rise to the majors in short order.

Another 2008 Newcomer's Nice Story: Brian Horwitz

Much like John Bowker's nice start earlier this season, or Alex Hinshaw's recent nice start (he's of Afgani descent, I heard on the radio recently), Brian Horwitz (according to KNBR morning show, first Jewish ballplayer since Steve Stone, now that's a name that I didn't think I would hear again as a Giants fan) has had a nice "Welcome to the Majors" start to his MLB career. Neither were considered to ever make the Giants when the 2007 season started. Yet, now, there they are, with a number of other players who had their debut with the Giants this season (Horwitz is the 8th to make his debut this season and probably not the last), on the 25 man roster and contributing. Horwitz has already gotten a clubhouse nickname, alluding to his heritage: "the Rabbi".

The Horwitz 911

Brian Horwitz (info from Baggarley's column today in the Merc, Chronicle account, MLB.com, and my BA book and my MacKamey book), who is 25 years old, had an inauspicious start to his professional career: he was bypassed in the draft by everyone after a disappointing senior season at Cal and was ready to apply for chiropractic school, but the Giants apparently had scouted him and offered him a free agent contract for $1,000 bonus, which he decided to take in order to at least have the experience of being a professional ballplayer. Chiropractic world would just have to wait. He used the money to pay his phone bill (that's some phone bill! I chaff at using my Go Phone for $8 per month).

He wasn't expected to do much with Salem-Keizer, apparently there were players ahead of him, but, setting an example for Henry Sosa, who got his opportunity similarly, two guys ahead of Horwitz came up lame - one dropped five flyballs in a week and the other came up with an injury - and Brian had his opportunity and took it: he hit and hit and hit until he ended up winning the Northwest League batting title by hitting .347, finishing with a batting line of .347/.394/.466/.860. And then, to show it wasn't a fluke, he hit .349 at Augusta (A-ball) to win that batting title, finishing with .349/.415/.460/.875.

The next year, he might have won the batting title in Advanced A with San Jose, batting .324/.414/.425/.839 (he still ended up 10th behind hitters like Mark Reynolds of D-backs and Reid Brignac of Rays) except that they promoted him mid-season to AA Connecticut (well, he was 23 years old anyway and still a bit old for a good prospect in AA) and, well, you know my complaints about the stadium there at Norwich, before getting a week to play with Fresno in 2006.

In 2007, he had to suffer through a half season of Dodd before getting the call to Fresno where he hit .326/.383/.432/.815, which sounds good but he was only 28th (players ahead of him including Matt Kemp, Matt Murton, Nate Schierholtz, Kendry Morales, Geovanny Soto, Tony Abreu, Ronnie Cedeno, and Felix Pie). Still, at 24, he was finally on the younger side of the league instead being on the older side, though he's only been rising one level per season for the most part, except skipping in 2006. In addition, except for Connecticutt, he has basically hit .324 or above for batting average while in the minors and had OPS in the 800's too.

Now here it is in 2008, he's in the majors and in his first start he hits a single off future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman in extra innings (apparently Dave Roberts contributed by giving him a tip on Hoffman's approach) to continue a rally that helped overcome 2 runs scored by the Padres in the top of the 11th and in his second start he hits a homerun to help the team keep a rally going and scoring 6 runs in the first inning, ending with 3 RBIs.

A dream start, he is 4 for 8, 3 runs scored, 3 RBI with 1 homerun. And the good thing was that he was able to exchange an autographed bat for his homerun ball, which Bowker was not able to finagle from the fan who had his. Only cloud in his coffee is his two strikeouts.

The neat thing is Horwitz, unlike Bowker, is not known as a bopper, so this homer so early in his stay in the majors was an unexpected surprise. He only has 14 total homers in 1,498 minor league at-bats, to show how power deprived he has been in his career, though he does have 5 in 136 ABs this season with Fresno, so this could be his uptick year, much like Bowker had his last season with Defenders when he was 23 or Niekro when he was basically like Horwitz, could hit great for average but with no power until he reached 25-26 year of age. It might also have to do with his time with the major league camp, perhaps Carney Lansford had a key tip that he gave.

Baseball America had him listed as #29 prospect for the Giants pre-season:

• Scouts never will rave about Horwitz, but all he does is spray hits wherever he plays.
• Every manager for whom he has played has become his biggest fan.
• Horwitz has a great two-strike approach, loves the opposite field and doesn't strike out despite a swing that can get a bit long and choppy.
• His arm is decent and his speed is below-average, so basically all he provides is a high batting average.
• But it's hard to find a more dedicated worker than Horwitz, who made the most of his invitation to big league camp last spring [2007]. He usually arrived before 7 a.m. for early hitting, even beating the coaches to the cage.

Deric McKamey had this to say about him (he did not rank him among the top 15 Giants prospects):

• Athletic outfielder whose value is tied to BA where he makes outstanding contact and is patient at the plate.
• Medium bat speed and a flat bat minimize power and possesses below average speed.
• Range and arm strength are average in the outfield and has experience at 1B.
• Sees his likely position as reserve LF/1B, though he could potentially be a platoon player.

Given his nice start, I can see Bochy giving him time at both 1B and LF, particularly while Aurilia is suffering through kidney stones (almost a week now and it hasn't passed yet) and against tough lefties. Bowker has sucked against LHP though to be fair, he hasn't gotten a start yet against a lefty, they were all against left-handed relievers who typically are tough on left-handed hitters.

Given the comments by the experts, I would not expect him to break out and grab a starting position somewhere, somehow, so temper your expectations for him despite this great start. But he can become a key bat off the bench and occassional starter this season and then let's see if he can continue to beat expectations going forward. Let's take it one start, one AB, one pitch, at a time.

It is stories like his that makes baseball great, the underdog who succeeds despite the odds, working his way up and proving himself at every level. I've been rooting for him since he won the batting title at Salem-Keizer, he is the player I would have imagined myself to be had I been a pro baseball player (I'm not delusional, didn't have the talent, but as most baseball fans do, I think about how I would be if I were ever to make the pros): no speed, no power, but able to be Wee Willie Keeler and hit the balls "where they ain't".

Some quotes from and about Horwitz (Merc, Chron, and MLB.com):

• "I've got nothing to lose. My whole career has been like that. What pressure do I have? I've just got to prove everybody wrong." (Sounds a bit like Lincecum)
• "First home run ball I've ever gotten back."
• After being mobbed after the homer: "There was a lot of love in that dugout. It adds to the experience. That's a great group of guys here and I just love being a part of this team."
• "Unbelievable, extraordinary... it's an out-of-body experience and I'm really enjoying being here. How could you complain? It's great to be winning as well."
• Horwitz allowed himself a sense of satisfaction in implicit defiance of the "people who critique me" referring to the talent evaluators who branded him bereft of power... "When I get it, I get it, though."
• Bochy on Horwitz: "What he does is go up there and give you quality at-bats. Since he's been up here, he's done that for us."

What the Ort? Horwitz Called Up

Oddly enough, after Aaron Rowand took a pitch off his hand, a Giants outfielder was placed on the DL today but it wasn't him: Dan Ortmeier was placed on the 15 day DL but will probably be out for up to 4 weeks. Me thinks he's beginning to be the position player equivalent of Kirk Ainsworth: he missed critical playing time last year when he was suppose to play in the AFL, plus had a couple of injuries in a season to basically waste his first year in AA, and now this. Hopefully this will give him time to recover his batting stroke during his rehab, plus I think that he's still got an option so they might keep him in AAA to get regular play and get his stroke going.

To take his place, the Giants called up OF Brian Horwitz. With no spots on the 40 man roster, the Giants moved Noah Lowry to the 60 day DL (which he's pretty much is at now anyhow) in order to call him up. The 25 year old righty Horwitz is a Cal grad (Go Bears!) who won batting titles in the Northwest League in 2004 with a .347 batting average (.347/.394/.466/.860) and in the Sally League in 2005 with a .349 batting average (.349/.415/.460/.875). He followed that up with hitting .297/381/.376/.757 for three different levels in 2006, traversing from San Jose (.324/.414/.425/.839) to Connecticut to Fresno.

The scouting reports are not kind to Horwitz. He doesn't hit homers or for power, nor does he have any discernable speed, and he doesn't play good defense. But dang if he doesn't know how to hit. And he's actually started hitting for homers this season, he has 5 homers in 130 AB or 26 AB/HR, while hitting .300/.350/.454/.803, MLE equivalent of .260/.303/.377/.680, which is not that good but serviceable for a backup bench player, as that translate to 4 homers in 133 AB or 33 AB/HR. Plus, our team has been struggling against LHP, so he might help out there as a righty, he can play 1B as well as LF.

I'm looking forward to see how well he can do. How can you not love that he has two, not one but two, batting titles, albeit at the lowest levels. Hopefully he will get to play more than Ortmeier has so that we can see what he can do before Ortmeier returns.

I wonder what is going to happen when Lowry returns from the DL, they will have to clear a spot on the 40 man roster for him to return. Then again who knows when he's coming back, it has been so long that I've forgotten about him a bit, particularly in light of how well his replacements have done.

Go Giants!